Humble to Heed

Having a relationship with the living God is an awesome, wonderful privilege available to everyone.  The word "privilege" these days has become a loaded term to emphasise the possession of benefits or rights others are denied and cannot obtain, when the privilege of Christians to know God is freely given of God's goodness and grace and extended to all people.  Born-again followers of Jesus Christ are privileged to have a relationship with God, and we desire everyone would receive Christ by faith so they too can experience new life in Jesus as well.  The Christian's privilege is available to everyone:  God's love, favour and mercy received by undeserving souls.

One thing that struck me today is a relationship with God provides personal access to communion and communication with God.  This relationship (shockingly, I might add!) is not God addressing us like a commanding officer his troops, a boss to his employees, or an domineering husband over his spouse, but like speaking to a close friend we love.  God has every right and power to do whatever He wants, yet He delights to hear our voices speaking to Him and expressing our desires, requests and praise of Him.  He is the source of all knowledge, understanding and wisdom, yet He is silent and listens more than He speaks.  God invites us sinners to draw near to Him in faith and reason as it is written in Isaiah 1:18-19:  "Come now, and let us reason together," says the LORD, "though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool."  He places no obstacle before us, for God says:  "Come now."  It is often our unbelief and folly that makes communication with God a last resort rather than our immediate impulse.

Many times in scripture God was pleased to heed the prayers of people and was swayed by their requests, though He was justified to do as He pleased.  After the children of Israel transgressed through idolatry while Moses was on Mt. Sinai, Moses begged God to change His mind about justly destroying them.  Exodus 32:14 says, "So the LORD relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people."  Blessed are the people whose God hears their cries, for even one person who trusts God has sway with Him!  Amazingly, God's will is for none to perish (despite our sinfulness) and He leads us to pray according to His will.  It was not the goodness of Moses but the Holy Spirit who led Moses to plead for the sake of the people, and God relented from the harm He intended to do.  Scripture is filled with instances of God prompting people to pray in faith, Him listening to them, and God answering their prayers with miraculous power--and in the case of Moses, with divine restraint.

These instances in scripture not only teach us to pray to God but also to be reasonable in listening to others, to take into account things people say, and to be humble to heed them.  Since God invites us to reason with Him and responds to our prayers, we ought to be good listeners to bring our thoughts and situations before the LORD who is wisdom for us.  When we are in two minds or completely overwhelmed about the correct course of action we should take, God always knows best.  Nehemiah is a great example of this, for when asked pointed questions by his king he immediately paused and sought the LORD God for guidance.  God does not need our counsel, but we desperately need His.  God forbid we refuse to relent at His word or the words of those who try to reason with us, for in doing so we become like Nabal--scoundrels no one can sensibly reason with.  If our words give God pause, we ought to be humble, patient and reasonable with all.

Loving God's Enemies

"If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; ²² for so you will heap coals of fire on his head, and the LORD will reward you."

Proverbs 25:21-22

This proverb was repeated by Paul in Romans in the context of not avenging oneself and followed by Romans 12:21:  "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."  Jesus commanded His disciples to love their enemies, to do good to those who hated them, and to pray for those who spitefully used them.  We can show love by meeting the needs of others in practical ways, by providing food and drink when needed.  Doing so would bring burning shame upon adversaries for being enemies of those who are kind and compassionate, and God promises to reward those who show love even for enemies.  God is faithful to provide for our needs, guide our steps and will reward us by His grace.

Recently I was encouraged to consider this passage from a spiritual perspective.  There are people in the world who are enemies of God (who may not even realise it), who deny His existence and goodness, and oppose and scorn the truth of His word.  In their condition they are spiritually starving from a lack of Jesus who is the Bread of Life and the Living Water of the Holy Spirit.  What a blessing it is for God to supply wisdom from His word to speak the truth concerning Jesus on the authority of the word of God, for man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matt. 4:4).  Man, in his natural state, drinks sin like water and has a spiritual thirst no amount of pleasure, fame or riches can satisfy.  Christians have the privilege to offer the Living Water of the Holy Spirit so people can drink through receiving the Gospel and live forever.

The spiritual implications of Proverbs 25:21-22 are held in tension with the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 7:6:  "Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces."  There are times when enemies of God will hear and receive His word, and others will disregard the treasures of God's wisdom and attack us like enraged feral boars.  Jesus said of Pharisees He deemed blind leaders of the blind, "Let them alone.  When the blind lead the blind they will both fall into the ditch." (Matt. 15:14)  We need discernment provided by the Holy Spirit to love our enemies by speaking the truth and also to express our faith in God by remaining silent until He bids us speak.  We are called to give an answer for the hope that is in us to those who ask and contend for the faith, but we are not called to be contentious (1 Peter 3:15).

Another important point Solomon made is in Proverbs 26:4-5:  "Do not answer a fool according to his folly, lest you also be like him. ⁵ Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes."  These verse compliment one another:  we are not to engage in foolish disputes and stoop to the low level of personal attacks and insults, but at the same time we are to speak the wisdom of God's word to reveal the folly of falsehoods and contradictions of worldly wisdom--which is foolishness with God.  When we speak, let us do so lovingly with the wisdom of the Bible, not haughtily spouting our own opinions or condemning others as if we are without fault.  May we speak the truth of Jesus as we follow the example of our Saviour who was humble, gentle, patient and kind.  Let us feed on God's word and drink deeply of the fullness of the Spirit so God's glory and grace will shine through us.

Stay Loyal to God

It seems a lot of large retailers I have wandered through lately aim to be a "one-stop shop."  Walmart is a good example.  Years ago there was not nearly the amount of groceries on offer like there is today with large refrigerated aisles.  From memory the only refrigerated area of Walmart I was aware of was for bait in the fishing department!  Today there is pretty much everything you need in one store that is the size of a small suburb that offers prices competitive with all rivals.  The thought is, if you can buy everything in one place, why go anywhere else?  This provides consumers the convenience of everything needed in one shop, the benefit of low prices and (of course!) provides more revenue for the retailer.

If there was a store where everything you wanted and needed was consistently provided at the lowest price, it would make sense to go there.  Benefits offered that reward loyalty are reasons why people prefer to shop at one place rather than another.  People are loyal until a much better deal comes along they can profit from.  That is when loyalty and our personal governing principles are put to the test.  Some people in California will pay more because they want an American-made product or want to support local businesses.  Others are more interested in saving money for themselves or so they can afford to support more charities through giving.  How we save and/or spend our money is often a complex, personal series of decisions.

The same can be true of the God we trust and worship.  Even as there are more shops and companies than I recognise or could count, there are a multitude of various deities that have been worshipped by mankind throughout history.  The powers of gods in the ancient world (and to this day) are often limited in scope and specialise in things like fertility, abundant harvests or protection.  The almighty God who created all things resembles a "one stop shop" in one sense, but He is infinitely superior in that He meets all our needs, is supreme in power, and is the best at everything without rival.  God is like a spring of pure, living water and all the other gods and idols combined are like a small mud puddle--a puddle that by the time you stoop to drink from it, you discover there is no water at all!  All other gods and spiritual practices were only a mirage that could never meet a single need.

God said through the prophet in Jeremiah 2:12-13:  "Be astonished, O heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid; be very desolate," says the LORD. ¹³ "For My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns--broken cisterns that can hold no water."  God exposed the folly of His people to forsake Him who saved them, was gracious and merciful to them, provided for their needs and blessed them abundantly.  They did evil in departing from Him, and they also sinned in carving for themselves cisterns (idols) that were totally unfit for purpose.  It was God who brought the rain, made their fields fruitful, caused them to bear children, and protected them from harm.  No other god, nation or person could compare with His goodness, everlasting power, wisdom and help.  It was completely irrational and foolish to abandon living water for broken cisterns that could hold no water in an arid environment.  A silly person can see how ridiculous it would be to make such a trade, yet the irony is God's people did not see it was stupid for them to forsake God who never forsook them.

We do not follow Jesus merely for benefits we hope to receive from Him but because He is God and worthy of all praise.  He is our life, and the wise cling to Him in faith in times of peace and conflict, when things are going smoothly or all seems lost.  We are the lost ones, and Jesus has sought and called us; He freely offers the Living Water of the Holy Spirit, and He gives rest for our souls.  How strange it is we would receive His gifts and grace, and after we have been saved, nursed to spiritual health and gained strength would go after false gods that could never hear, see, help or deliver us at all.  Blessed is the one who finds God to be His all in all!  Praise the LORD for His loyal love to us, that when we foolishly lean on our own understanding He continues to pursue us and calls us back to Himself to receive us.  Let's be those who, having discovered God to be our fountain of living water, are not deceived to think there could be better elsewhere and remain loyal to Him.

Eyes On Jesus

I came across a picture recently that conveys the view some maintain of the role of priests or pastors in the church.  Between the risen Jesus Christ and the children receiving communion, a haloed priest stands as mediator between God and man.  To receive the divine benefits of the broken body of Jesus and His shed blood, the priest provides the sole means of receiving God's grace.  The picture illustrates a view of the church that is disembodied from Jesus Christ as the head, replaced by a robed man that is holier than thou.

In writing to the 7 churches (which by extension include the entire church and body of Christ), John offered grace and peace in Revelation 1:5-6 "...from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, ⁶ and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen."  God has made all born again Christians as kings and priests unto Him.  This is not to say God does not give authority and responsibilities to leaders in the church, but to show the unity of believers who are all in Christ.  Rather than resembling a Mosaic system where Moses was intercessor between God and the Hebrews, under the New Covenant Jesus is in that glorious role for all people who believe--not the church or priests.

For the glory of the eternal, wise God Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 2:1-6, "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, ² for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. ³ For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour, ⁴ who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. ⁵ For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, ⁶ who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time..."  A more accurate picture would be for the priest to be standing alongside the children with enraptured eyes on Jesus, for Jesus alone is the God and Mediator between God and all people.  Pastors and parishioners alike are to keep their eyes on Jesus and follow Him by faith, all needing forgiveness and reconciliation with God through Jesus.  Rather than looking to a priest to be absolved from sins, the dependence of every child of God is to be on Jesus Who once for all died for our sins, was raised in glory, and stands at the right hand of the Father.

Regardless of our role in the church, let us be those who refuse to obscure the view of Jesus who rules and reigns on high by seeking glory for ourselves.  Let us also not look to a priest, saint, pastor or mentor to do for us what only Jesus can or to guide or help us like the Holy Spirit is faithful to do.  Praise the LORD for the blessings and benefits of fellowship in the church, but let us remember the church is merely the body of which Jesus is the Head.  All the answers to prayer, salvation, forgiveness and acceptance before God is from God alone, and let us give Him glory rather than man.  Let us thank people for their faithful service unto the LORD and express our gratitude to God for His generous provision, but let us direct hungry and thirsty souls to Jesus to find salvation and rest while we look to Him ourselves.